Learning to Dance
by VisionaryDame
Summary: Camille never had any festivities when she lived on her island, so while the customers of the Baratie are dancing the night away, she is sitting nearby and enjoying the music. However, the ever amorous Sanji isn't just going to allow a pretty woman to just sit around while everyone else has all the fun. [SanjiOC]


"You've gotta be kidding me..."

When she heard those words, Camille, with a faint blush forming on her pale cheeks, could not help but look away from Sanji, who was sitting in front of her with a look of surprise as a cigarette hung from his lips. A bashful smile was on her face while her thumbs fiddled together nervously. The upbeat sound of music was playing throughout the Baratie that evening, allowing the guests that resided to dance with their partners for a night of laughter and fun.

There was no special occasion for it; only that group of traveling musicians wanted to play some music for everyone to enjoy. It was a swell idea, one that Sanji was excited for. Seeing a bunch of beautiful women dancing the night away with the notion of sweeping them off their feet made his heart melt like chocolate. At least, that was supposed to be his plan until he laid eyes on his beloved friend Camille, who chose to have a seat away from the people and just enjoy the sight of everyone else having fun. To anyone else, they would have moved on, not wanting to bother her as long as she was happy. For Sanji, however, he would not have that. He would not have such a wonderful young woman sit down while others spent their night laughing and carrying on as they whisked through the restaurant. Instead, he decided to make a change of plans as he immediately approached her and asked why she was not out there enjoying herself.

Unfortunately, her explanation for why surprised him.

Red-violet eyes glanced back at the cook, her smile still eminent on her sweet face, as she shook her head.

"Nope, I'm not kidding," she replied, leaning back in her chair as she folded her hands on her lap.

After taking a moment, Sanji could not help but start laughing, causing Camille to give him a confused look.

"S-so...so let me get this straight," he began to speak once his laughter died down. "You mean to tell me...that not only can you not swim...but you don't know how to dance, either?"

Camille shrugged absentmindedly at the question, looking away in thought.

"Well, back at my home, we didn't really have gatherings like..." She looked out at the customers having a great time and enjoying themselves, "well, all of this." She looked back at the sous-chef as he took a drag of his cigarette. "We were never really into throwing these kinds of things all that much, so I never had the chance or the reason to learn."

He chuckled and looked back at her, staring with his single grey-blue eye.

"You really must have had a boring life on that island of yours," he stated. "No partying? No dancing? Sounds like a drag, to be quite honest."

The white haired girl shrugged again as a distant look suddenly formed in her eyes.

"I suppose you could say that..." She responded, her voice smaller than usual, as her head slowly lowered.

Sanji seemed to notice the look cross over her face, his smile falling from his own lips. He could only assume that she was deep in thought as strands of her hair began to shield her face from view. He could see that something was wrong the moment those words left her lips and when that look came across her face. As much as he wanted to know what was eating at her thoughts, asking her was certainly out of the question. He did not want to ask her about it since he was worried about pushing any buttons that may make her uncomfortable or upset. She may have been working at the Baratie for the past two years now, but he knew well enough to see that she was not comfortable enough to talk about life before arriving at the restaurant. Even the mere thought of it was sufficient to put her in a state of depression or at least make her look less vibrant than normal.

His eyes closed briefly, removing the cigarette from his lips and sighing as the smoke escaped from him. _Forget about that for just a moment_ , he told himself, opening his eyes again just as Camille suddenly looked back at him. Judging from the way her brow raised ever so slightly, it was as if she still sensed him looking at her and could not help but figure out why. Then, he smiled. _I think it's time I put a smile back on that beautiful little face_ of hers.

"Um...S-Sanji?" Camille slowly spoke, eyes narrowing with concern. "Are you...okay?"

Before he could answer her question, the music started to slow down just a bit but still kept a jazzy and Latin beat to it. Anyone who had come as a couple had started to dance with each other, looks of happiness and occasional looks of romance plastered on their faces. Sanji glanced around the room for a moment, smirking ever so slightly at the sudden change of atmosphere. It was just his luck that a slow song suddenly came on, and it was just the right kind of music to really put his plan into motion. After a moment, he stood up, placing his cigarette on his lips again, and looked at the confused looking Camille, who continued to watch him curiously. When another brief moment passed, he reached his hand toward her.

"I think now's the time I teach you how to dance," he finally said, the signature smile of his forming on his lips. Camille blinked once, unable to form words at the offer, yet said nothing as her face turned pink once again. "I'm not gonna leave a beautiful woman like you all by yourself to sulk. When you're with me on a night like this, it's best to tag along and have fun."

"B-but...but Sanji, I..." She stuttered on her words before trailing off nervously and looking away from the cook. "I-I'm afraid I'll have two left feet. W-what if I mess up and...e-everyone laughs at me?"

He chuckled and shook his head at that, earning a look from Camille.

"That's what makes the night so special, my little dove," he explained reassuringly. "You learn from mistakes and just having fun with it. Who cares about what other people think, anyway?" He reached his hand out to her even more, which grabbed her attention briefly before she looked back at him. "The only thing that matters is that you're enjoying yourself, even if you do slip up." Camille still seemed nervous about accepting the offer, as it was evident in the way she nibbled on her lower lip, though it was clear in her eyes that she did not want to say no to it, either. "Don't worry. I'll hold onto and guide you through everything little by little. I won't let you go, no matter what happens." His smile grew a bit, showing the genuine sincerity. "All you have to do is trust me."

Her eyes, which he noted seemed to glimmer in the dim lighting of the restaurant, stared at him in what appeared to be awe and surprise. Judging from the expression that she sent him, it was clear that no one had ever treated her the way he had. Even after two years, it still surprised her, and she appeared to have no response to the treatment she was being given. Just thinking about it almost upset Sanji. Camille was such a sweet and beautiful young woman who should have been treated like a princess, or better yet as a queen. As far as he was concerned, she had done nothing to deserve anything less than that. The fact that no man had enough decency to even take her out dancing at some point in her life, regardless if they were young teenagers or not, made his blood boil. It was akin to that of the most heinous crime in existence. However, instead of letting it get to him, Sanji pushed away those negative thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on the nervous young woman sitting before him. What was in the past no longer mattered now; what mattered was that he was going to give Camille a night that she would never forget, a night that she would truly feel happy and have as much fun as possible.

Sanji watched as a small smile formed on Camille's lips, a smile that was trying so hard to seem confident. After what felt like an eternity, he eventually felt her small hand slip into his before standing up, her dress settling at her knees as it normally did. He took note to the softness of her hands, a bit surprised by how delicate and seemingly fragile they were. In a way, it looked like she was still a bit uneasy about accepting the offer, probably because of the idea that she would mess up and embarrass herself, yet she believed it was time to do something different for once. He squeezed her hand in reassurance before leading her away from the table they were sitting at. The slow song was still going on strong, picking up slightly and keeping the Latin jazz feel. It gave him enough time to show her just what it was like dancing with someone, especially someone who was more than happy to dance with her. The look on her face - eyes widened ever so slightly as she once again nibbled on her lower lip - revealed that she was still a bit tense, yet she was willing to try nonetheless. At least, it seemed that way based on her actions.

"The music seems to have picked up a little bit," she suddenly spoke, looking up at him with a look of concern. "What happens if it starts to pick up even more?"

Sanji did not say anything at first as he stopped at least several meters away from where they were sitting before turning to face her. After taking a quick drag of his cigarette, he removed it from his lips and tossed it out the nearby window, earning a displeased look from Camille. However, her expression changed as soon as she felt his other hand take hold of her free hand, moving it to rest on his shoulder. She did not say anything to that, curious as to why he would put her hand there. Evidently, she did not understand to basics of dancing. Even if she wanted to ask him about it, she would never get that chance. She jumped as his arm slowly wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to his body than what she was used to. A shade of crimson started to form on her cheeks at the close contact with him, unable to form words to express what was going through her head, and she looked down in a futile attempt to hide it. Sanji could not help but smile at her flustered state, taking a moment to relax a moment before starting.

"To answer your question from before," he finally spoke, making her look up at him once again, "I don't think it'll get any faster." Before she could question what he meant, the music suddenly became slower, a hint of jazz and piano playing along with it and giving off a soothing and relaxing feel to the room, eventually adding a bit of saxophone as well. She would have looked over at the band that was playing, but instead she kept her eyes on Sanji. The look in her eyes was questioning and seemingly anxious, yet the smile on her face appeared to say something else. It was a look that was asking if he had planned this, to which he shook his head. "I didn't plan any of this if that's what you're thinking. I'm just going along with what they've got." He smirked. "And wouldn't you know that luck is on our side?"

She could not help but smile at that, her blush still remaining eminent on her cheeks. After a moment, Sanji raised the hand that still held onto hers, positioning so it would be more comfortable for the both of them. The smile immediately fell from her lips as she watched him do that, that worried look crossing over her face again as she looked at him.

"U-umm..." She stuttered, unable to form any words once again.

Sanji laughed at her bashful state, keeping his eyes on her the whole time.

"If it makes you feel any better," he started, "just keep looking at me and go with what feels comfortable. I'll take the lead, okay?"

She did not say anything in response, but she did as he suggested and kept her eyes on him as she nodded wordlessly. She understood what he said and took his advice without hesitation. It took him a moment to actually start moving, as he found himself staring back at Camille almost unconsciously and nearly forgetting the timing.

At first, the movements were a bit shaky on Camille's part, since she found it difficult to see where she had to step, but eventually, she started to fall into sync with the actions. She occasionally looked down to make sure she was following along, but it only lasted a brief second as she looked right back up at him. In a way, she was using him as a means to distract herself and keep away any nervous feelings, which seemed to be working well since her hands were only slightly shaking with anxiousness. After at least two minutes, she started to smile, enjoying herself and actually having a little bit of fun even if the song itself was still somewhat slow. Seeing her that way made him smile as well; he may have said it to plenty of other women before, but he definitely enjoyed seeing the young lady in his arms smile the most out of every other woman he spoke with in the past. The only difference was that he meant that thought a lot more than anyone could have guessed.

Despite dancing for what seemed like an eternity, they both eventually just began swaying from side to side. It may have been just a short lesson for Camille, but it was certainly one that she was confident she would never forget. Knowing that someone like Sanji was there easing her into doing things she would normally be nervous about was relieving. It helped her take risks and not worry about anything else for just one moment. After staring at one another for another moment, Camille sighed contently and lowered her head. She remained like that for at least thirty seconds before moving to place her head against Sanji's shoulder, moving her hand to his chest in the process. At the same time, she laced her fingers with his without even saying a word. The cook blinked, slightly surprised by the subtle actions performed by Camille. It appeared to be rather unconscious on her part, and she did not seem to protest or move away after realizing what she was doing. In fact, she appeared to be much more comfortable the way she was. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing deeply, almost as if she was taking in his scent or just sleeping. To someone else, they probably would have been a little confused to see her resting against him. To Sanji, however...well, he just did not seem to mind at all.

For someone who would usually shy away from close contact with others, it was a very special moment for them, one that he did not want to ruin.

His grip around her waist tightened a bit as if he were pulling her closer, while he removed his other hand from hers and wrapped it around her as well. Her now free hand immediately fell upon his shoulder for a moment before sliding down a bit to rest on his chest in a similar manner as the other one. She did not seem to react to his actions as she had before but instead nuzzled into him even more. It was at that point Sanji looked down at her, noticing just how peaceful she was as she rested against him. He was afraid to move anywhere or disturb her, for fear ruining such a perfect moment. It was a rare moment to see Camile so serene and calm instead of the bustling and hardworking girl he knew during the day. After seeing her that way, he promised – no, he _vowed_ – to always find a way to see it more often than just that night alone. It would be difficult to find the perfect day since life at the restaurant was always so busy with customers, but Sanji was determined to see that come to fruition.

After a long moment, he placed a gentle kiss atop her head, one that she did not react to either. At least, not at first. After a few seconds, he watched a small smile – a genuine smile – form on her lips. It made him smile as well, glad that he decided to show her how to dance that night. He had gotten so much more out of it than he bargained for. He had been given the opportunity to see her happy, genuinely happy for once since she came. That was enough to make his night that much better.


End file.
